Change Modules
Actions to Take…
Diet
Why is your diet important?
What we eat has a great impact on our planet’s climate and nature. Food production is a major contributor to climate change and it also affects our environment. Here are the main reasons:
- Producing food causes emissions of greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide and methane, in different ways: through deforestation and clearing of land for agriculture and grazing, the digestion by cows and sheep, the production and use of fertilizers and manure for growing crops.
- Greenhouse gas emissions also come from the equipment used in farms or fishing boats, as well as from packaging and distributing food. Much of the food we buy must be transported to the shops and that transport needs fuel, mostly fossil fuels.
- Growing food needs a lot of water (70% of all water goes to agriculture). This reduces the amount for drinking water.
- The usage of fertilisers and pesticides are also responsible for pollution of soils and water.
- The production of food takes up a significant portion of our resources and is the biggest driver of biodiversity loss.
- The growing of food for animals and for grazing is the main cause responsible for the depletion of our natural resources. Especially raising cattle requires a lot of resources and produces methane, a powerful global warming gas. This also applies to milk production.
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Biggest Impact
1. Buy local and seasonal produce
Why buy local produce?
Buying local and seasonal produce doesn’t just have a positive impact on the environment, it also has economic, social, and health benefits. Such as:
- Local food is fresh and is often more nutritious.
- It allows you to try new food from your surroundings.
- It causes less pollution, because it needs less fuel for transport, less packaging, and supports healthier ecosystems.
- It reduces safety risks, with fewer points of contact on its journey to our plates.
- Supporting local farmers keeps local land in production, local money in the community, local food security and it helps maintain green spaces in your area.
- You also get the chance to connect with farmers near you and build community relations.
To know if the food is produced locally, we suggest learning more about the products that you eat. While in some countries it’s mandatory by law to indicate where the food is produced, unfortunately, this is not the same in others. In any case, buying food at farmers’ markets, roadside stands, through community supported agriculture, or asking at your frequent supermarket for local produce is a good way to start.
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2. Eat a plant-based diet
What is “Plant-Based” Eating?
A plant-based diet consists of food that comes from plants and has no ingredients from animals. Plant-based foods and ingredients include fruits, vegetables, grains, starches, beans, legumes, and nuts.
Why does it have a big impact?
Eating a plant-based diet has great benefits for your health and could help you save money. Focusing on whole foods from plant sources can reduce body weight, blood pressure and risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, as well as promote a healthy microbiome, increase your lifespan and healthspan — and it can make your environmental impact more sustainable.
Plant-based diets include all nutrients — even protein.
Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, as an adult and in old age, and for athletes. All plant foods contain the nine essential amino acids required to make up the proteins you need, and many vegetarian foods like soy, beans, nuts, seeds and milk substitute products have comparable amounts of protein to animal foods.
How to get started:
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Start small:
with adding a “Meatless day” to your meal plan and investigate one simple and delicious recipe to try each week. -
Change your plate proportions:
Instead of giving up your meat-based protein completely, try to reduce the space it takes on your plate. -
Be prepared when dining out:
If possible, try to examine the restaurant menu ahead of your meal, so you’ll arrive with a plan of what you can eat. -
Share a dish:
Bring a dish to share at a party or potluck; this will lessen your worries about food options. -
Feeling satisfied:
Be sure to bulk up your meals with filling, fiber-rich whole grains, plant-based proteins and healthy fats. -
Share the benefits
Tell your friends and family about the benefits of a plant-based diet for human health and the health of the planet.
Did you know…
External Articles & NEWS
Learn how a vegan diet will help the environment
Learn how a plant-based eating can help our planet
Learn more positive impacts of a plant-based diet for your health and the environment
Find out delicious vegan recipes online
Learn how to embrace a plant based diet
How big meat and dairy are heating up the planet
3. Grow your own food
Growing your own food is a simple solution to numerous health, climate, environmental, and economic problems. It has so many benefits that it is almost a superpower!:
- When you grow a food garden you are closer to nature. As you interact with your plants, the soil, and the weather you are directly experiencing all the elements involved in the growing process. This creates joy and you have a profound sense of satisfaction and a deeper understanding of nature and its cycles of growth.
- It is good for your health: Home grown food is fresher and provides better nutrition – and it reduces the use of chemical pesticides.
- It can easily be grown organically.
- The food tastes better.
- It can be done anywhere: also on balconies and indoors (on a smaller scale).
- If you also plant some pollinator plants and flowers you will attract and feed bees and butterflies – good for your garden or balcony and good for the environment.
- It reduces food waste, also because you treasure the value of your effort in growing the food.
- It helps you save money.
- It provides learning opportunities for you and your family.
- If you do it with other people, it fosters a sense of community.
- It gives you an opportunity to move and exercise – and helps you get more sunlight and vitamin D.
- You reduce plastic packaging from vegetables in shops and supermarkets. and…
- It reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Approximately 25 percent of global carbon emissions are caused by the worldwide industrial production of food. Emissions start with the clearing of land to make room for monoculture crops. The removal of trees and the breakdown of key soil components reduces nature’s ability to absorb, distribute, and store carbon, releasing more into the atmosphere and contributing to the increase in greenhouse gases. Synthetic pesticides and fertilisers are often made from fossil fuels. Manufacturing and transporting them uses energy and produces greenhouse gases.
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Easy to do
You don’t always need a giant leap to achieve change. The important thing is to start, see successes and keep going. Here are three brief tips to get started on a more sustainable diet.
Eat Less red meat
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Cook a vegan meal every week.
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Eat vegetarian / vegan X days a week.
Consume less dairy
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Try oat milk.
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Yeast flakes give a “cheesy” (umami) taste to food.
Buy your vegetables in your local market
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Remember to take your own basket and bags.
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Take a walk to the market – fitness included!
Fun Tips
For all the good reasons: Fun is the greatest motivator! And should never be neglected. Here are some ideas. Surely, you can think of many more in your Change Club.
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Cook and share a meal together – trying out vegan/vegetarian recipes and new ideas!
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Bring a friend or go to a vegan restaurant as a Change Club
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Grow vegetables or herbs as a change club
SDGs
Taking action with your diet is addressing climate change. In addition, it can contribute significantly to achieving other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including these ones:
Click on each goal to learn more.
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We must change how we live. Not only in politics and the economy, but also personally. Doing it alone is difficult. That is why I suggest creating Clubs, in which people can learn from each other and help one another to change their lives. There one would get recommendations for delicious vegetarian recipes, fairly traded textile brands, some would share their experiences with carsharing, others about how to grow vegetables on your roof, another would know a great way to reuse rainwater, and so on. The Clubs would work following the Weight Watchers principles: Motivation and exchange of experiences. Working title: Change Clubs. If you would like to help this project see the light of day, contact me.